How does God Fill The Space He Creates When He’s the One Walking Away?
[This is Part 5 of “God Fills the Space He Creates” – As in the earlier posts, there are devotional questions at the end of the writing. I encourage you to utilize them for your own study and to interact with one another in the comment section. Thanks!]
In this last Sunday’s lectionary texts (Isaiah 50:4-9a; Mark 8:27-38; James 3:1-12) we are given the wisdom of James who warns his readers that not everyone should become a teacher.
As someone who occasionally attempts to teach — whether in front of others or by words on a screen — this warning of James can be intimidating. I don’t want to screw this up!
I think what is often assumed about James’ warning is that teachers must be ones who have learned enough to teach. They are those who have received the necessary training, possess the right information and are essentially smart enough to instruct others.
Though I’m sure there is truth to this, I don’t believe the bar James sets is about being properly informed. A teacher should not be one who has simply downloaded information to then upload that same information to others. A teacher, as James reminds us, possesses the power of a tongue. A tongue that can both bless and curse and is a power that no one can tame.
A teacher, then, should not be someone who merely possesses the right information, but has a righteous intuition.
A faithful teacher’s ability to bless the learner requires wisdom. A wisdom that comes from above and is heavenly minded — which also means it is rooted in what God has already planted in their heart.
Because this wisdom is from above, the teachers instruction should always be purposed toward fostering peace, not division. So, even if the tongue resorts to a curse — peace will always be the desired result and lasting fruit.
With this understanding it is no wonder that the greatest wisdom from above is found from the teaching tongue of Jesus. A tongue that speaks both a blessing and a curse, possessed in the mouth of the man known as the Prince of Peace.
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Jason Martin 